Subject: [TS] Re: Implications of import/export standards
From: Eric Freese (eric@isogen.com)
Date: Sat Feb 19 2000 - 17:59:03 EST
Andrius:
I might be able to make your life a little easier. There is an ISO standard
based on SGML/HyTime for "Topic Maps". A working group, of which I am a
member, has been formed to apply this standard to the Web using XML, Xpath,
and Xlink, possibly for submission to the W3C. It currently being called
XTM (XML Topic Maps).
Some members of our group have used The Brain to show how topic maps can be
viewed and navigated.
To learn more about topic maps there are 2 sites that are be of interest:
http://www.infoloom.com/topmap.htm (info and text of standard available)
http://www.topicmaps.com (XML DTD and sample application and several
articles available)
I have mentioned this possibility to Ben Darnell with Thoughtstream also.
The next XTM working group meeting is in San Jose, CA in conjunction with
the Xtech conference. The days and times are:
Tuesday, February 29, 2000: 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Wednesday, March 1st, 2000: 5:30pm - 8:30pm
The working group is currently an open, public group so I believe you or
people who are working with would be more than welcome. If you have any
questions, feel free to contact me or to send email to xtm-wg@egroups.com or
topicmapmail@infoloom.com. These lists include most of the world's experts
in topic maps, including the editors of the ISO standard.
I am doing research into using SGML/XML and topic maps to model semantic
information for semantic networks and expert systems. So, as you can see, I
have an interest in both topic maps and the representation of
knowledge/thoughts/facts.
In any case I would be interested in possibily assisting you on your effort.
Eric
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrius Kulikauskas [mailto:mslab@attglobal.net]
> Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 9:35 PM
> To: thoughtstream@egroups.com
> Subject: [TS] Implications of import/export standards
>
>
> Hi,
> My name is Andrius Kulikauskas and I'm the Director of the Minciu
> Sodas laboratory, www.ms.lt, devoted to caring about thinking. Members
> of our laboratory include Ben Darnell, as well as TheBrain, LLC,
> www.thebrain.com, MindManager, www.mindmanager.com, and KK Aw, inventor
> of Multicentrix, www.multicentric.com
> Currently we are working to develop an import/export standard for
> groups of thoughts, in particular, for sequences, hierarchies and
> networks of notes. My feeling is that the lack of an import/export
> standard has made it too risky for people to use software for organizing
> thoughts on ongoing projects, because products get discontinued and all
> of the notes get trapped.
> In joining, Ben wrote that this standard is of importance to him.
> Our work on the import/export standard is at:
>
> http://www.ms.lt/importexport.html
>
> TheBrain, LLC is sponsoring our investigation "Linking Locally is
> Thinking Globally" at:
>
> http://www.ms.lt/ms/projects/formatkinds/991230linklocal.html
>
> We are working to figure out what kinds of links software and standards
> use to structure thoughts. For example, TheBrain uses a directed
> network (child-parent) and a nondirected network (jump). MindManager
> uses a radial tree. I invite you to visit and to help: we are
> collecting examples of how an import/export standard might be used, also
> examples of software tools out there, and standards for information.
> Our agreement with TheBrain, LLC allows us to create a converter, in
> the public domain, between TheBrain file format and the import/export
> standard that we are developing.
> We are pursuing our standard through the Infrared Data Association
> because they are a fast working and open spirited standards group for
> mobile computing, and the makers of such software are interested in
> mobile computing. I am the convener of the new IrDA special interest
> group Flow of Experiences with a mandate to develop our standard. We
> are having our second meeting in April in the San Francisco area.
> For that meeting I would like to demonstrate the capability of
> passing groups of notes between TheBrain and MindManager. This will
> help make concrete to our colleagues there - primarily engineers from
> companies like Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard - what this is
> all about.
> They would be twice as impressed, I think, if they could see
> exchange between these programs and Thoughtstream on the Palm OS. I am
> writing to ask, if that my be interesting, and if it might be doable.
> I don't want to take away from your studies, which should come
> first, never mind Bill Gates. Through the Minciu Sodas laboratory,
> however, I work to organize people to help each other and build
> relationships while we work on shared endeavors. Basically, I would be
> interested to explore organizing the design of a converter between our
> standard and your Thoughtstream. I have contacts in Palm who I could
> approach to finance this work. Also, I'll be going to the MobileInsight
> executive conference, March 5-7, and the President of Palm Computing
> will be speaking there, so I may be able to catch him.
> I have another thing on my mind that expands on this. Once we
> define a preliminary standard, it would be great to develop an
> interactive multiconverter. A piece of software that would walk one
> through to move sequences, trees and webs of notes in and out of
> different programs, and interactively helping one turn a web into a
> tree, for example. This type of software could ultimately evolve into a
> streamlined user interface that would be the center of our work with a
> computer.
> I would like to organize the development of such a multiconverter as
> a group effort. Many questions arise, including social (who to
> approach), financial (what might be the role of incentive and
> compensation), and technological (what programming languages to use).
> I know very little about your software and your community, but would
> like to learn more. I should buy a Palm OS device soon to be able to
> demonstrate your software, and other Palm OS for organizing thoughts
> (do you know of any)? What Palm OS device do your recommend?
> Finally, I will be traveling to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to visit
> my sister. In particular, I will be there Friday, February 25th. I'm
> curious, Ben, if you'd be interested to meet. Also, I'm curious how
> many of us are in North Carolina, maybe we could have a general
> meeting. I could also give a short talk on our work (I should add that
> I have a Ph.D. from UCSD in mathematics).
> Ben, congratulations on all of your work. I look to all of us with
> excitement that this might lead to directions only imagined and not
> quite yet.
> Yours,
>
> Andrius Kulikauskas
> Director
> Minciu Sodas laboratory
> http://www.ms.lt
> ms@ms.lt
> +1 (619) 298-7019 until April 29th
>
>
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>
>
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